COALWAY man Syd Taylor has finally been recognised for the wartime bravery he showed more than 70 years ago.

The 92-year-old endured the hardships of the Arctic convoys, which sailed to northern ports of the Soviet Union during World War Two, delivering vital supplies to the Russians.

For years. the deeds of the men who made those treacherous voyages have gone unrecognised. However, following a 16-year campaign, Syd, and the remaining few servicemen like him, have now been awarded the Arctic Star medal.

"This medal has been 70 years coming" said Syd.

We've been fighting for a medal for a long time. They weren't going to give us one but there was such an outcry that they finally gave in.

"It's the crews of the merchant ships who deserve more than they ever got. They were the ones that were getting hammered, they had nothing to fight back with.

"I felt sorry for them. You'd see a flash and another ship was gone."

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